The last time Lily Byrne, a freshman at Briar Woods, went to go see a Marvel movie in theaters was to see Antman and the Wasp in 2018. The 2010-2020 decade was the golden age of Marvel, but many agree that the golden age is now dead and gone. But why?
There are many theories as to why Marvel is facing this slump, one of which is that Marvel is just pushing out too many movies, too fast. During quarantine, Disney made a deal with Marvel that there would always be a new movie or TV show coming out, and the result has overworked the VFX workers, who make all the CGI effects, to the point where some editing is finished after the release of the movie/TV show.
“In 2019, at the peak, if you put ‘Marvel Studios’ in front of something, people were like, ‘Oh, that brand means quality.’ That association is no longer the case because there have been so many projects that felt half-baked and undercooked.” says Johanna Robinson, who is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios.
Another major reason for Marvel’s plummet is the fact that viewers are becoming less and less interested, though for a few different reasons. The biggest is that they are growing tired of seeing the problems of society portrayed in what is used as an escape.
While Marvel has always been known for having superheroes with real-life issues, like girl problems or the threat of going bankrupt, Marvel has moved towards deeper and more awful problems in society, and fans are not pleased. The constant racial aspect that has been present in many recent shows/films, all of which have failed dramatically.
“While it does make an interesting aspect in a film, we already see enough of that in our society. Why is all of our entertainment focused around this now?” asks Byrne.
Another reason fans are annoyed is because the new cast just isn’t cutting it, though there is talk Marvel might actually listen to this complaint.
“The infinity saga is much more well known, and they’re filtering out many of the classic characters that many people know and love.” says Eva Hartley, a freshman at Briar Woods.
While this may be due to knowing the original Avengers cast longer, the new cast is not given the same opportunities that the original cast had. The new cast has been faced with trying to work with scripts, plots, and VFX that have, as previously mentioned, been lacking. Nonetheless, Marvel just may be desperate enough to listen to the growing cry for the original Avengers back.
“Sources say there have been talks to bring back the original gang for an “Avengers” movie,” says Tatinan Siegal, a journalist for Variety, who did an article on why Marvel is having this crisis, “But the studio hasn’t yet committed to the idea — if it were able to bring those actors back, it wouldn’t come cheap.”
While people may not be interested in Marvel’s recent products, fans still love the originals, and will hold out hope for products to come.
“I hope that the future releases will be better than what is coming out now, but Marvel [has] an uphill climb.” explains Byrne, who will not be going to see Marvel movies in theaters until then.
